Free SHS may encounter setbacks – IMANI

Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana has opined that the much hyped free Senior High School policy by the New Patriotic Party is likely to face some setbacks.

This according to Head of Economics at IMANI, Patrick Stephenson is because of the current economic conditions in the country.

President Akufo-Addo over the weekend assured that his government will fully implement the free SHS policy from September this year, 2017.

But speaking to Citi News, Mr. Stephenson challenged government to declare the source of funding for the project.

“The way we had talked about the whole free senior higher education and how it’s going to be implemented, the idea itself may not be a problem, but how we should treat it within the structure of the educational system as we speak today so that the targeted persons get to benefit. I think that’s been the problem to the extent that we have not seen sufficient clarity from the current government is making it very difficult to appreciate what the intended objectives are,” he explained.

Free SHS to begin in September

President Akufo-Addo has assured that his government will fully implement the free SHS policy from September 2017.

According to him the implementation of the policy will cover the full fees of students who attend public Senior High Schools in the country.

President Akufo-Addo said the policy will ensure that Ghanaians who qualify for SHS are not burdened with financial difficulties.

“By free SHS, we mean that, in addition to tuition which is already free, there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer lab fees, no examination fees, no utility fees; there will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals, and day students will get a meal at school for free,” the president clarified.